“How do you know that?” Adam asked.
“He was a pompous ass and told me,” I said.
The guys grew silent as tension permeated the room. I knew what they were thinking. The fact that the man told me about his plans meant he hadn’t been planning on letting me live. No matter what the brothers would’ve given him, his plan all along was to kill me.
“I’m alive because of you guys. I know,” I said. “Thank you.”
“This was why we didn’t want to tell you anything,” Tanner said. “This was what we meant by ‘trying to keep you safe.’”
“I know,” I said.
“They would’ve killed you,” Adam said.
“I got it.”
“It was only because of what you told us that we were able to find you. They weren’t at any of their usual places. They had you in an abandoned house,” Tyler said.
The room went silent again as tears stung in the back of my eyes. I felt like a fool. Like a child they were chastising. I knew exactly the type of trouble I’d gotten into. I knew those assholes meant business. I didn’t need to be reminded of it now that I was out of it.
“I owe you guys my life,” I said.
“You owe us nothing,” Nick said.
“Just shut up, okay? Look, I got myself into a lot of trouble. I get that. Can we put it to rest? Please?”
I felt involuntary tears streaming down my cheeks as one of the brothers wiped them away. I could feel their fear, and I could hear their anger vibrating against the walls. I knew Adam was ready to kill someone. I knew Nick was sick to death at the predicament I’d found myself in. I could hear it in every single one of their voices, and I was bracing for the worst.
I was bracing for them to leave me for my own good.
“It was a big ass mess,” Jacob said.
“Now’s not the time,” Adam said.
“If we’re going to cultivate a relationship with her, she needs to know. Everything. Fucking hell, Adam. She was taken because she didn’t know who to perceive as a damn threat because of us,” Jacob said.
“Fine,” Adam said. “But give it to her straight.”
“Give what to me straight?” I asked. “What’s going on?”
Tanner piped up. “I think we’re all ready to talk.”
“Then I’m all ears,” I said.
“The Devil Hogs have been at our throats for a while. Our shops are fairly new to the area, and they accused us of trying to steal their business. They stole money from our shops as revenge for us settling here, so we stole it back, but that wasn’t what caused the shootout,” Jacob said.
“What did?” I asked.
“When we stole the money back, it took them four days to figure it out. The president of the Hogs got pissed off that it took them so long to figure it out, so they tried to burn down our clubhouse,” Adam said.
“So, the stealing happened before the shootout?” I asked.
“Yep. We caught a couple of their guys trying to burn down the place, and we sent them a message. That you couldn’t fuck with us without paying a price,” Adam said.
“I’m not going to ask what that message was,” I said.
“It’s better if you don’t,” Nick said.
“In recompense for our message, there was a brawl. That’s where Jacob got the black eye,” Adam said.